Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands, Washington

The town of Friday Harbor, named for an early inhabitant, Joe Friday, who lived there in the 1860s.

Making our way through the inner passage from Seattle to Vancouver on the National Geographic Sea Bird last week, we explored the San Juan Islands in the state of Washington. We spent an afternoon walking around the little town of Friday Harbor, population 2,338 (2016). The whale museum and whale research center offered the opportunity to learn more about the orcas and humpback whales we were seeing in the water.

Friday Harbor is very small and charming, with beautiful flower plantings along the streets and many interesting shop signs and other street art. Because the town is built on a hill, there are views of the docks from everywhere. A large car ferry arrives frequently -- as the town is on an island you can get there only by boat. Some views of the town and its art work:

The Arctic Raven Gallery offered the best selection of Native American art we saw on the trip. We bought one carving.

The car ferry landing at the dock.

Coming soon: blog posts with more about whales, and more about the art of the Native Americans and Canadian First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest.

We bought this sculpture of a halibut by a Native American wood carver -- it's now hanging on our living room wall, as shown.